Superhot Review (PSVR)

Introduction

Superhot VR by the Superhot Team has now launched for PSVR, and Superhot VR is certainly a gem for the system. The idea of time moving only when you do translates perfectly into VR. It is only held back by tracking issues and length. It is certainly a fun experience, even if it is incredibly frustrating at times.

You can buy the game now over on the PlayStation Store. Superhot VR is also out now for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive and you can purchase those versions over on Steam.

Story

The story of Superhot VR is a short little meta-tale. Those familiar with the original Superhot will understand how it works and that it plays a minor role in the game. While it is pretty interesting to get some side content such as you actually putting on a VR headset in game to access the game, it is nothing special and certainly now why you would play the game. This is all about gameplay, and thankfully it holds up rather well in this department.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to that of Superhot, just in VR. Probably why it is called Superhot VR. The same time-based mechanics have returned which gives you time to think about the situation and plan out an attack route before things get heated. I did find it a little weird not being able to move, however. I'm sure they figured it would make people nauseous, but as someone who never gets any form of motion sickness, having to stand still as people charged me did limit what I and the game could do. Enemies could only attack from the front and sides, which did make things a bit predictable.

While they may have been a tad predictable, they were never boring. Every event was difficult and enjoyable. I would have preferred a better checkpoint system so I didn't have to keep starting over when I died and doing parts that I could just breeze through after awhile.

I also would have preferred controls that functioned a bit better. My time spent with the game was me constantly resetting the orientation so everything wasn't too far away from me to grab. This seems to be an issue with Superhot VR itself considering I have never had this issue with any other game I played on the system. It isn't a deal breaker, but it was very annoying.

Despite these issues, the game was very fun, if not as smooth as its non-VR counterpoint. Bashing and shooting enemies is still incredible fun, but trying to throw anything is incredibly annoying. This makes combos of shooting and tossing the gun nearly impossible, which breaks up the flow of combat. It also made any parts where you had to throw to not get shot incredibly difficult. Trying to measure distance and accuracy in a VR headset was not easy and often failed.

The gameplay is certainly flawed, but nothing ruined the experience for me. They slowly ate my enjoyment like termites, but the foundation still stands strong. I had fun, even if the experience could have been better. 

Graphics and Audio

The graphics of Superhot VR were quite good. The minimal art style means that nothing fancy needed to be done so it looked good in the headset. Everything was clear with the contrasting red and white color scheme making threats easy to notice. The red trail of bullets as they fly past your face is satisfying and makes moments of gunfire incredibly enjoyable.

The sound design, on the other hand, is simply serviceable. It is nothing special and easily forgotten. It certainly isn't bad, but like the art style, it is quite minimal. Still, it worked well enough with the graphics and gameplay to make an enjoyable experience.

Conclusion

Superhot VR is a flawed, but highly enjoyable game. Shooting and punching your way through hordes of enemies is a fun and immersive as ever, but any time the game asks you to throw something you are going to be in for a bad time. This is then made even more difficult by the tracking issues that makes everything drift further and further away from you making grabbing items in the world nearly impossible.

It really breaks the feeling of immersion when I have to constantly reset where I am in the game world. It isn't a deal breaker, but does hurt the experience and prevents it from living up to its full potential. It doesn't help that the poor checkpoints will have you replaying sections you have already beat and the game can be beaten in around an hour. Less if you get a good feel for what you are doing.